[Thursday VA Tip #19] – Interviewing My Potential Virtual Assistant

Have you ever rushed into a business decision only to find out that it was not to be the best one you could have made? You bought some software you thought you couldn’t be without, or you signed up for a course… Gosh, how often have I done that. I have a good list of courses that I signed up for and never finished. Do I feel guilty about it? Yes!

When you’re looking for a VA and you think about the interview process, what questions come to mind that you want to ask her? Are they strictly task-oriented questions or are you interested in finding out how she works, what her standards are, what equipment she uses?

In addition to the above, here are some questions that you might want to ponder before talking with a candidate:

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

How would you characterize your personal work style?

When you think about working with a VA, how do you envision that? (What does it look like, what does the VA do, how do you communicate with her, how involved is she with the day-to-day operations, and what do you expect from her?)

Do you see yourself as being able to delegate easily?

Do you micromanage ever?

Have you worked with an assistant in the past? In person? A VA? Did that work well for you? If not, what didn’t work? What did work?

How do you see her, as your partner, enhancing/improving your business?

What kind of investment(s) are you willing to make in this relationship (time, energy, conversations, sharing info and resources, etc.)?

Now, I take my time to really evaluate whether I need a piece of software, a tool, anything. I find it has helped making the right decisions easily.

The more clarity you have the easier it will be to find your ideal VA. What other questions would you recommend thinking about before an interview with a Virtual Assistant?